Strategic public diplomacy and local press: how a high-profile “head-of-state” visit was covered in America’s heartland

Abstract

Drawing upon the lines of research on public diplomacy and media communication, this study aims to use Chinese President Jiang Zemin’s state visit to the US in 1997 as a case in point to examine the news values and judgment of the US local press in covering a major public diplomacy event and to discuss the effectiveness of the use of head-of-state visits as instruments of public diplomacy. The study focuses on two aspects of media image: visibility and valence. Its main findings indicate that, despite the PR efforts, the image of China, as reflected in the local press coverage, was not improved. This study highlights the critical role of the local press in managing the perception and reputation of a country in the eyes of a foreign public, and argues that the local aspect is not only significant in studying public diplomacy and the US media, but also relevant to US public diplomacy strategies and tactics overseas.